The rising Irish four-piece BLEECH 9:3 today released their debut single, “Ceiling.” The band, which recently completed an extensive tour supporting Keo, has already secured another high-profile slot, announcing they will join Shame on the road for their upcoming dates in Ireland.
BLEECH 9:3 is spearheaded by vocalist/guitarist Barry Quinlan and guitarist Sam Duffy, whose partnership began in an unusual setting: an AA meeting, where Sam served as Barry’s sponsor. The pair relocated from Dublin to London in 2024, and they note that the foundation of their collaboration was forged in vulnerability. “I think the vulnerability of those meetings helped us be a lot more comfortable with each other from the get go,” they shared regarding their first recording sessions.
The single, “Ceiling,” is built around potent ’90s heavy alt-grunge. It’s an urgent, aggressive track that channels a dark fixation on erasure and negative space, making for a powerful and atmospheric debut.
Of the single, the band state,
The story behind “Ceiling” is a sad one. I realised while writing the lyrics that it was about my friend Ryan who I met at a recovery meeting in Dublin. He passed away before he really got the chance to get better. It’s not something I’ve ever purposefully sat down to write about, it’s all those types of things which try to make contact with me through the writing. It’s like it’s trying to manifest itself to be released or something. Some things you hold on to for a long time before they finally find their way out.
